Coca-Cola and bacon: two of the best things in the whole wide world, right? So what happens when you combine them? You get a caramelized piece of deliciousness that might just change the way you think about bacon. Try this Coca-Cola bacon by itself, on a sandwich, or crumbled over a salad.

Ingredients and Equipment

• 1 lb bacon
• 12 oz can of Coca-Cola
• rimmed baking sheet
• parchment paper

Make the Coca-Cola Bacon

Choose Your Bacon Wisely

Start with a good quality pound of bacon. Try to avoid bacon that is too fatty, as the Coca-Cola will be less effective.

Soak the Bacon

Remove the bacon from the package and separate it into a container with a lid. it’s important to  completely separate each piece so that the Coke can reach all of the bacon.

Add the Coca-Cola to the container. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours. The longer the bacon sits in the Coke, the stronger the effect.

Line Your Pan

Line the rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. This step keeps the Coca-Cola bacon from sticking when it cooks in the oven. Parchment paper also makes clean up a breeze.

Drain the Coke

After the bacon has had plenty of time in the Coca-Cola, drain the liquid. Place the Coca-Cola bacon strips on the parchment-lined pan. Make sure that the bacon does not overlap. If your bacon strips are long, you will need to use two lined pans.

Into the Oven

Set the oven to 375º F. Place the bacon-filled pans into the oven. Do not wait for the oven to reach temperature.

Bake for 15 minutes, then check the bacon.

Drain the Grease

At the 15 minute mark, you might need to carefully drain the grease from the pan into a metal bowl lined with a couple of paper towels.

Continue to Check

Return the Coca-Cola bacon to the oven. Check at five minute intervals until the bacon reaches the desired crispness. Be aware that the Coke will prevent the bacon from getting really crispy. Also, as the Coke caramelizes, the bacon will seem much darker than usual.

Remove from the Oven

Remove the bacon from the oven, then transfer the slices to a paper towel-lined plate.

Try It with Other Products

You can also try this method with plenty of other products in the Rock Hill Coca-Cola Bottling Company line up. Think Fanta bacon or Dr Pepper bacon or Barq’s Root Beer bacon.